THE FLORA OF THE TURKS ISLANDS 293 



( p . 2 85 ) and then of the rocky upland and the rocky lower levels ( p .28 6 ) . 

 It is, however, shown that in the southern end of the island quite 

 a character is given to the vegetation of the sandy plains by the 

 abundance of a number of shore shrubs that have largely deserted 

 the beach (p. 286). 



5. As far as the data at the writer's disposal enable him to form an 

 opinion, they indicate in the case of the inland scrub flora that whilst 

 some species occur in other parts of the West Indies, others are 

 restricted to the Bahamas as a whole. Some, again, are confined 

 to the Turks Islands with the neighbouring Caicos and Inagua 

 groups, and, lastly, a few are peculiar to the Turks Islands (p. 287). 



6. With regard to the strand plants of Grand Turk, it is remarked 

 that the question of endemism is not here raised, since practically 

 all of them occur outside the Bahamas and not infrequently also in 

 the Old World, a conclusion which applies to the true littoral flora 

 of the Turks Group as a whole (p. 288). Whilst not a few of the shore 

 plants invade the inland plains, some of them having almost deserted 

 the beach, the plants of the inland scrub may in their turn intrude 

 on the beach, mingling there with the characteristic strand flora. 

 Here the xerophytes of the plain and the xerophytes of the strand 

 experience little difficulty in exchanging their stations, the influences 

 that tend to keep them apart being more concerned with fitness 

 for dispersal by currents than with station (p. 288). The general 

 arrangement of the plants on the beach-border is then described 

 (p. 288). 



7. After mentioning the occurrence of a peculiar Bahamian species 

 of Passiflora in the dune district behind the beach (p. 289), the halo- 

 phytes of the muddy shores of the creeks and lagoons are named 

 (p. 290). 



8. The mangroves, which once formed extensive swamps on 

 Grand Turk, Cotton Cay, and Salt Cay, and are still fairly represented 

 on Grand Turk, are described. The clearings connected with the 

 establishment of the salt-ponds have almost banished them from 

 the other islands (p. 289). 



9. It is argued that the endemism favoured by the great depths 

 between and around the Bahamian islands would be checked by 

 the monotonous character of the climate, geological structure, and 

 soil conditions over the archipelago (p. 290). 



10. With regard to the means employed by Nature in stocking 

 the Turks Islands, it is observed that two-thirds of the littoral plants 

 that are found in the Old World could have been directly brought 

 there by the currents. For the shore plants confined to the New 

 World, we have usually to appeal to the bird, to the drifting log, 

 and to man. In the case of the inland scrub plants birds are probably 

 the chief agents of distribution. 



